By: Faria Moiz
One of the most prominent areas on campus, the Green is a hotspot for numerous school activities and gatherings on a frequent basis. It is situated at the heart of the MHS campus, making it an easily accessible location to host such events and is passed by most students on a daily basis. Despite this, the Green isn’t normally used by most students.
At present, the Green is usually used by ASB for school-wide activities like mixers, especially the stage portion. Other times, it’s simply a hangout for some students lingering on the outskirts of the grassy terrain, basking in the shade or playing volleyball. It’s at its busiest during CLOG Rush when clubs and organizations set up their booths around the outer area of the Green to advertise and invite people to join them. This highlights an issue with the location.
The Green is only used around the edges, leaving the center untouched for most of the year. That’s understandable based on the weather: when sunny, the mass area of the green is directly in line with the sun’s rays and during rain, there’s no surface to provide protection for students. A major portion of the Green is neglected, save for some hurrying students attempting to make a shortcut through the grass. Even for regular commutes, most people walk on the concrete areas around the area. The Green as a whole should be used regularly or at least should provide some meaningful function to the school for such a well-known place.
How could we make the Green more effective? How could it become a regularly used place, seeing as its current purpose is only as an area to hangout? How do we make the green unique and worthy of recognition? Transforming the Green may be the answer.
One use the Green of the future could bring would be analogous to its name, make the Green green. MHS’ garden is a cramped rectangular plot situated remotely off the side of the L building. It’s definitely missed at first glance. Although efforts to plant crops have been made, most of them haven’t made the cut.
The Green can replace that garden and boast various kinds of flora. It would be an attraction for the school, aesthetically and environmentally. The spacious area could become a school feature for the students and serve as a model for other schools to emulate.
Environmentally, a plethora of plants would purify our air through their intake of carbon dioxide. The crops chosen to be planted could also be used in our school’s lunches, serving as a convenient option. As there won’t be a high demand of transport to deliver food to the school, our school’s carbon footprint will see a significant drop.